The summer holiday brings new passion and new challenges in the enchanting third book of Jenny Colgan’s utterly delightful School by the Sea series, set at a girls’ boarding school in Cornwall. School is out, following a bit of saucy scandal at Downey House... Beloved high school teacher Maggie Adair had been comfortably, if somewhat ambivalently, engaged to her dependable long-distance boyfriend Stan. But in the heat of summer, Maggie’s attraction to her colleague David McDonald has caught fire. Now both are facing an uncertain future as they try to figure out how to stay committed to their careers—and each other. Meanwhile, the girls of Downey House—mercurial Fliss, glamorous Alice, and shy, hard-working Simone—have had long summers at home, which weren’t quite the respite they had been hoping for. But the new school year is thankfully here, and it will bring new pupils and lots of fresh challenges for students and teachers alike at the school by the sea.

School by the Sea

Lessons at the School by the Sea

'Devastatingly good - wonderfully warm, heartbreakingly real and completely uplifting' Miranda Dickinson On the day Hannah is finally going to tell her husband she's leaving him, he has a stroke . . . and life changes in an instant. Tom's only 32. Now he can't walk or cut up his own food, let alone use his phone or take her in his arms. And Hannah's trapped. She knows she has to care for her husband, the very same man she was ready to walk away from. But with the time and fresh perspective he's been given, Tom re-evaluates his life, and becomes determined to save his marriage. Can he once again become the man his wife fell in love with, or has he left it too late? My Everything is a thought-provoking, emotive and page-turning debut. It will make you cry, laugh, and stop to think about what's really important in life. (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

My Everything: the uplifting #1 bestseller

'A heart-clangingly powerful stunner of a novel' - Isabelle Broom, Heat. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Lisa Jewell and Jodi Picoult. Can you ever outrun the past? It's Zoe's wedding day. She's about to marry Jamie, the love of her life. Then a phone call comes out of the blue, with the news that her mum Gina has been arrested. Zoe must make an impossible decision: should she leave her own wedding to help? Zoe hasn't seen Gina for years, blaming her for the secret that she's been running from ever since she was sixteen. Now, Gina is back in her life, but she's very different to the mum Zoe remembers. Slowly but surely, Gina is losing her memory. As she struggles to cope with Gina's illness, can Zoe face up to the terrible events of years ago and find her way back to the people she loves? A Life Without You is a stirring and poignant novel about the power of the past - and the possibilities of the future. (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

A Life Without You: a gripping and emotional page-turner about love and family secrets

‘An evocative tale’ Woman MagazineThe East End of London has been devastated by the Blitz and the people are struggling to come to terms with their ravaged city. Rationing bites ever deeper and and everything that makes life better is in short supply. For the district nurses, the challenges are tougher than ever. Gladys loves her work in the Civil Nursing Reserve, but just when she needs to rely on her sister at home to help out with the chores, she turns into a handful of trouble. Edith is learning to cope with her boyfriend's injuries after Dunkirk but will she have to choose between her love for him and her career? With no end in sight, the war reaches its darkest moment … Can the nurses – and the families and patients that rely on them – find the strength to carry on?

The District Nurse

Christmas for the District Nurses

Crime-scene photographers Sarah, Hugh, and Mick are summoned to the goriest crime scene they‚Äôve ever encountered. A pub owner named Harry Warbrick has been found hanged. His murder becomes a sensation because he was England‚Äôs top hangman. Sir Gerald, owner of the Daily World, announces that they‚Äîmeaning Sarah and her friends‚Äîwill investigate and solve Warbrick‚Äôs murder before the police do. She and her friends discover a connection between Warbrick‚Äôs murder and the most notorious criminal he ever executed: Amelia Carlisle. Something happened at Amelia‚Äôs execution. The Official Secrets Act forbids the seven witnesses present to divulge any information about it. But Harry had a bad habit of leaking tips to the press. What is the secret, and who hanged the hangman?

Victorian Mysteries

The Hangman's Secret

'Val McDermid meets Stephen King' Hadley Freeman Karl Savage is dead. He must be. His ex, Anjelica, is in prison for murdering him in an arson attack. Multiple forensic experts testified to finding his charred remains. So when Anjelica begs investigative journalist Morgan Vine to prove her innocence, it seems an impossible task. It doesn't matter that Karl was abusive. That Anjelica has a baby to care for. That she's petrified of fire. The whole world knows Karl is dead. Then he turns up outside Morgan's window . . . Praise for KILL ME TWICE and Simon Booker 'Booker's long experience in writing for television has granted him a sure grasp of character, and his skills do not desert him in Kill Me Twice . . . Vine is a distinctive heroine' Best Thrillers Roundup, Guardian 'Unputdownable. A mercilessly gripping read, and such a pleasure to meet Morgan Vine again' Deborah Moggach 'Another brilliant, edge of your seat thrill ride' Kate Rhodes

A Morgan Vine Thriller

Kill Me Twice

Rosie Garland’s extraordinary tale is a story of superstition and devotion in the time of the Black Death and will bewitch both new readers and fans of her much-loved debut, The Palace of Curiosities. Devon, 1349. In Brauntone, where seagulls screech across the fields and the wind has a mind to change, Father Thomas arrives as the new priest. Determined to impress his congregation, he quells fears of the coming pestilence with promises of protection. For Anne, the priest’s arrival is an opportunity that at sixteen, she feels all too ready for. Convinced a grand fate awaits, she moves in as Thomas’s housekeeper, though hopeful of something more. But his home is a place without love or kindness. So when a strange, mute Maid is discovered, washed up in the marshes, and taken in, Anne is grateful for the company. Their friendship is to give Anne the chance of a happiness she thought she’d never know. But soon the plague strikes Brauntone, spreading panic. And as the villagers’ fear turns to anger, Thomas must sacrifice everything to restore their faith in him.

Vixen

London, June 1890. Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are crime-scene photographers for the Daily World newspaper. After solving a sensational murder, they're under pressure to deliver another big story. On a foggy summer night, they're called to the bank of the River Thames. The murder victim is an unidentified woman whose face has been slashed. But as Sarah takes photographs, she discovers that the woman is still alive. The case of ""Sleeping Beauty"" becomes a public sensation, and three parties quickly come forward to identify her: a rich, sinister artist who claims she's his wife; a mother and her two daughters who co-own a nursing home and claim she's their stepdaughter/sister; and a precocious little girl who claims Sleeping Beauty is her mother. Which party is Sleeping Beauty's rightful kin? Is someone among them her would-be killer? Then Sleeping Beauty awakens—with a severe case of amnesia. She's forgotten her name and everything else about herself. But she recognizes one of the people who've claimed her. Sarah is delighted to reunite a family and send Sleeping Beauty home—until one of the claimants is murdered. Suddenly, Sarah, her motley crew of friends, and her fiancé Detective Sergeant Barrett are on the wrong side of the law. Now they must identify the killer before they find themselves headed for the gallows.

The Woman in the Veil

YOU DESERVE SUCCESS. ALL YOU NEED IS THE CODE. The Success Code will change the way you think about your future. Whether you feel unfulfilled, unproductive or overwhelmed, this guide offers the tools to find your ambition, strengthen your resolve and change your life. Packed full of practical tips and strategies, executive coach Amanda Dewinter uses her thirty years of expertise and the latest coaching, neuroscience and psychological research to empower you to maximise your potential and create the life you want to live. Whether your dream is to land a new job, pass exams, head to university, or excel while heading in a new direction, this book will provide help you discover the code to your own success. Discover the secrets to success and shape your own destiny.

The Success Code

Addie thinks she knows everything about her mother. But when a stranger appears claiming to be her sister, she realises that her life so far has been a lie. But why? 'Intriguing, twisting... I loved it' Dinah Jefferies. 'A gripping family mystery told in lush, evocative prose' Erin Kelly. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Santa Montefiore. Hartland House has always been a faithful keeper of secrets... 1958. Sent to beautiful Hartland to be sheltered from her mother's illness, Liz spends the summer with the wealthy Shaw family. They treat Liz as one of their own, but their influence could be dangerous... Now. Addie believes she knows everything about her mother Elizabeth and their difficult relationship until her recent death. When a stranger appears claiming to be Addie's sister, she is stunned. Is everything she's been told about her early life a lie? How can you find the truth about the past if the one person who could tell you is gone? Addie must go back to that golden summer her mother never spoke of...and the one night that changed a young girl's life for ever. 'A compelling family story... Beautifully written and evokes vivid pictures of an English summer in the 1950s' Sheila O'Flanagan. 'Trembles with family secrets' Victoria Fox (P)2017 Headline Publishing Group Limited

My Mother's Shadow: The gripping novel about a mother's shocking secret that changed everything

The addictive and emotive new novel from Katie Marsh, author of My Everything and A Life Without You. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Lisa Jewell and Lucy Dillon. 'I lived over half my life before I met you both, and I hope with all my heart to live many years more. You two are the reason why. Always, always the reason why.' Abi Cooper is living her happy ending. She's in remission and is ready to make the most of her second chance. But during Abi's illness her family has fallen apart. Her husband John has made decisions that are about to come back to haunt him, while her teenage son Seb is battling with a secret of his own. Set to the songs on Abi's survival playlist, This Beautiful Life is the moving and uplifting story of what happens as Abi tries to put her family back together - and of why life, and love, are worth fighting for. (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

This Beautiful Life: the emotional and uplifting novel from the #1 bestseller

'Katie Marsh writes achingly beautiful, life-affirming stories that break your heart and refuel your hope' - Miranda Dickinson. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse. Can one act of love break a family apart? Alex believes that she can overcome anything. So when her partner Sam needs her help in the most unexpected of ways, she doesn't hesitate to offer it to him - even when it means making a huge sacrifice of her own. But what neither of them can foresee is that this one act of love will reverse their roles within the family... leaving Alex reeling, and isolated from Sam and their two children. How far will you go to save someone you love? And as the threads which hold her life - and the family she adores - together start to unravel, can Alex figure out ups and downs of her new reality before everything falls apart? The Rest of Me is a moving, emotional novel about a family navigating the aftermath of a shattering event. It will make you laugh and cry, and remind you of the importance of family and love.

The Rest of Me

London, October 1890. Crime-scene photographer Sarah Bain is overjoyed to marry her beloved Detective Sergeant Barrett—but the wedding takes a sinister turn when the body of a stabbing victim is discovered in the crypt of the church. Not every newlywed couple begins their marriage with a murder investigation, but Sarah and Barrett, along with their friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly, take the case. The dead man is Charles Firth, whose profession is "spirit photography," photographing the ghosts of the deceased. When Sarah develops the photographs he took in the church, she discovers one with a pale, blurred figure attacking the victim. The city's spiritualist community believes the church is haunted and the figure is a ghost. But Sarah is a skeptic, and she and her friends soon learn that the victim had plenty of enemies in the human world—including a scientist who studies supernatural phenomena, his psychic daughter, and an heiress on a campaign to debunk spiritualism and expose fraudulent mediums. In the tunnels beneath a demolished jail, a ghost-hunting expedition ends with a new murder and new suspects. While Sarah searches for the truth about both crimes, she travels a dark, twisted path into her own family's sordid history. Her long lost father is the prime suspect in a cold-case murder, and her reunion with him proves that even the most determined skeptic can be haunted by ghosts from the past.

A Victorian Mystery

Portrait of Peril

'A radio play by Christopher William Hill is something to look forward to with pleasure' - Radio Times It's the late 1930s, and even on the remote island of St Martin's in the Isles of Scilly war seems inevitable. But the islanders have their own battles to contend with, stuck on a rock flung 27 miles out into the Atlantic with only their natural grit and gallows humour to see them through. When a stranger in a suit arrives on the island, the locals decide he must be the undertaker come to deal with the body of the late postmaster. Then they discover he is not an undertaker after all - so they naturally conclude that he's a spy. But the truth is worse than that - his name is Frank Gunwallow and he's been sent over from Penzance to modernise the Post Office, around which their world revolves. The islanders are determined to resist this unwelcome change, and deeply suspicious of the young man from the mainland. Frank realises he's got a fight on his hands - and it'll take more than a shiny new telegraph machine to win them over... Created by award-winning novelist and scriptwriter Christopher William Hill, this gentle comedy stars Joseph Kloska as Frank, with Christine Absalom, Peter Marinker and Alex Tregear. Produced and directed by Mary Peate Sound by Jenni Burnett, Anne Bunting, Graham Harper and Caleb Knightley Production Co-ordinator: Jessica Brown First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 29 November-20 December 2013 (Series 1), 11 May-1 June 2015 (Series 2) Cast Frank Gunwallow - Joseph Kloska Mary - Bec Applebee Grace - Christine Absalom Tommy - Stuart Fox Ben - Alex Palmer Len - Ed Gaughan Reverend Tregarthan - Peter Marinker Morwenna-May - Alex Tregear Pender - Christopher William Hill Anthony - David Seddon Signor Di Bicci - Sam Dale

On the Rocks: The Complete Series 1 and 2

London, November 1890. Crime-scene photographer Sarah Bain Barrett faces a perfect storm of events. She and her husband Detective Sergeant Barrett are riding on a train that crashes. While rescuing other passengers, they find a woman who's been strangled to death. Their search for her identity and her killer lead them to Cremorne Gardens, a seedy riverside pleasure park that's a combination carnival, theater, freak show, and museum of oddities. It's among the most challenging cases that Sarah, Barrett, and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly have ever undertaken. The suspects include a dwarf, a female acrobat, and a member of the Royal Family. Due to the royal connection, the police commissioner declares the case top-secret. Sarah and company must investigate quietly, keeping the suspects, the press, and the public in the dark. That's easier said than done. The investigation is complicated by the injury Hugh sustained during their last case, Mick's romance with a woman who has psychic powers, and Barrett's old flame. Meanwhile, Sarah's father goes on trial for a rape and murder that happened more than two decades ago. The victim was a teenage girl named Ellen Casey. Is he as innocent as he claims? The trial is the scandal of the year, a media blitz. The outcome—and the truth about the murder on the train—are beyond Sarah's wildest imaginings. What dangerous secrets are hidden behind the tawdry glamor of Cremorne Gardens? Is her father wrongly accused or a guilty sinner who deserves to be hanged?

Garden of Sins

BBC Radio adaptations of Nick Payne's finest works, brought together on audio for the first time - plus bonus features Nick Payne is a world-renowned playwright and screenwriter. He won the George Devine Award for his first major play If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, and Constellations won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play. Both were performed on Broadway with Jake Gyllenhaal. This collection contains Constellations and Elegy, his two acclaimed plays exploring science, time and love, with new introductions by Nick Payne himself. Also included are three dramas specially written for BBC Radio. Constellations - Marianne and Roland meet at a party, hit it off, and go for a drink. Or do they? Does their love story unfold, or is it tragically cut short? In a quantum multiverse, even the smallest change can significantly alter the course we take - so there are infinite possibilities for heartbreak or for hope... Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and George MacKay. Elegy - Lorna and Carrie met in later life and got married. But now they are facing the possibility of their relationship disintegrating in the most painful way, and Carrie must make a devastating choice between love and survival. Starring Juliet Stevenson, Deborah Findlay and Marilyn Nnadebe. The Day We Caught the Train - David is coming for the day, and Sally has planned everything meticulously. But the weather, a problematic car, a problematic cat and Harold conspire to thwart her plans... Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman stars in this quietly intense play about a woman beset by one problem after another. Being Alone Doesn't Have to Mean Being Lonely - Trying to pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love, David uses 'the machine' to revisit his old memories. But when it malfunctions, it catapults us into the story of a couple attempting to make sense of their relationship. Starring Stuart McLoughlin and Alex Tregear. Happiness - Married couple Karen and Richard attempt to alleviate their respective unhappiness with a variety of far-flung undertakings. But can they find a solution closer to home? Clare Corbett stars as Karen, with Bryan Dick as Richard. Text copyright © Nick Payne 2011 (The Day We Caught the Train, Being Alone Doesn't Have to Mean Being Lonely), 2012 (Constellations), 2014 (Happiness), 2016 (Elegy) Cast and credits Written by Nick Payne Constellations Marianne - Gugu Mbatha-Raw Roland - George MacKay Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 28 March 2021 Elegy Lorna - Juliet Stevenson Carrie - Deborah Findlay Miriam - Marilyn Nnadebe Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 28 March 2021 The Day We Caught the Train Sally - Olivia Colman David - Ralph Ineson Anna - Nishi Malde Harold - John Rowe Helen - Jane Whittenshaw Waiter - Simon Bubb Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko Studio Managers: Caleb Knightley and Keith Graham Edited by: Anne Bunting Production Co-Ordinators: Nicole Fitzpatrick and Matthew Mills First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 July 2011 Being Alone Doesn't Have to Mean Being Lonely Jim - Stuart McLoughlin Sarah - Alex Tregear Directed by James Robinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 April 2011 Happiness Karen - Clare Corbett Richard - Bryan Dick With Susan Brown, Karl Johnson, Roslyn Hill and Monty d'Inverno Directed and produced by Sasha Yevtushenko First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 21 December 2014 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nick Payne: Constellations, Elegy & more

The three sisters of Victory Walk in East London will face heartache and tears on the home front. A brand new series from the bestselling author of The District Nurses of Victory WalkRose, Clover and Daisy are the pretty blond sisters of the Harrison family, living with their parents and two brothers, and working in East London and the outbreak of WWII. Rose the eldest is a nurse working in Homerton Hospital, she despairs of her younger siblings and their occasional less sensible attitudes to life. Clover is the handful of the family and whenever there’s trouble she isn’t far away. At the first chance she gets, she volunteers for the Auxiliary Service, but things go far from smoothly. Daisy is the baby of the family, but she doesn’t want to be treated like a child anymore and is determined to grow up, whether her family like it or not. When she gets a chance to sign up to do her bit, she seizes her chance. As rationing, blackouts and bombs start to bite, life will change forever for the three sisters.

The District Nurses

The Three Sisters of Victory Walk

The compelling new bestseller from the author of The Mersey Daughter and Winter on the Mersey. Alice Lake and her friend Edith have had everything thrown at them in their first year as district nurses in London’s East End. From babies born out of wedlock to battered wives, they’ve had plenty to keep them occupied. As rationing takes hold and Hitler’s bombers train their sights on London, there is no escaping the reality of being at war. Edith is trying to battle on bravely while bearing her own heartache but there’s no escaping the new terror of the bombing raids. The girls find themselves caught up in the terrible aftermath, their nursing skills desperately needed by the shaken locals on their rounds. With the men away fighting for King and country, it’s up to the nurses to keep up the Spirit of the Blitz, and everyone is counting on them…

Wartime for the District Nurses

Ten short BBC Radio 4 plays from an eclectic mix of writers, including Josie Long, Nick Warburton and Tim Key, exploring one of the most important human emotions. 'Ten Lessons in Love' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 25 April 2011.This accumulation of mini-plays encompasses romance, heartbreak and some adult themes; each play offering a very different perspective on love. David uses 'the machine' to revisit his old memories - he wants to pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love. But when it malfunctions, it catapults us into the stories of a variety of people, all of whom are attempting to make sense of love...The 'Ten Lessons in Love' of which this collection is comprised are: 'You Never Know When You're Going to Fall in Love', 'More Often than Not, Your Dream Date Will be a Nightmare', 'Beware of Skeletons in the Closet', 'Remain Interested; Don't Yawn at Least', 'When Your Heart Freezes it's Time to Leave the Building', 'Love is Fickle', 'Being Alone Doesn't Have to Mean Being Lonely', 'Love's Worth Fighting For', 'Love Can't be Pinned Down' and 'Ignore All Previous Lessons'.Starring Sean Baker as David, the cast also includes Nyasha Hatendi and Alex Tregear.

Ten Lessons In Love

Two new dramas which get inside the emotional realities of dealing with ethical dilemmas.  When a confused young man with no I.D. and a Doctor Who fixation is brought into hospital, the staff have clear rules about how decisions can be made on his behalf. But when he starts to make his own wishes clear, are they right to listen?   Starring Gunnar Cauthery, Clare Perkins, Simon Bubb, and Carl Prekopp. With Peter Polycarpou, Gerard McDermott, Jonathan Forbes, James Lailey, Alex Tregear, Susie Riddell and Elaine Claxton. Script Consultant: Jim Blair, St George's Healthcare NHS Trust. Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting.

Best Interests

The Kneebones of United Downs have hard lives, weird vehicles and a love of Country and Western music. When scrap dealer Jed Kneebone dies, his three children are left in serious trouble. But they have inherited Jed's prized 1956 Cadillac Eldorado - could the legendary Boneshaker Stock Car Races be the answer? A wry Cornish comedy about family, death, love and hope by Carl Grose. Starring Alex Tregear as Maddy, Carl Grose as Slick, Ed Gaughan as Dwight, Charles Barnecut as Hooper Munroe, Amanda Lawrence as Phylis Vanloo and Joseph Kloska as Ennis. Directed by Claire Grove.

The Kneebone Cadillac

A BBC Radio 4 comedy exploring the crippling effects of acute social anxiety on work, hopes and relationships, starring Stuart McLoughlin. 'Shy Baby' was originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 17 Mar 2011.  Lionel Stillman has a new job, a girlfriend he thinks he loves, and a secret ambition - to be a stand-up comic. But he also has a problem. People make him nervous.  As Lionel stumbles from bad date with Emma to bad first day at a call centre, he struggles with an inner voice telling him he's boring and useless – 'or just plain weird'. At first, Emma thinks he's attractively shy. Then she decides he's a drinker.  But Lionel does have friends. At a weekly support group his fellow sufferers Simon, Max and Rosie uncover his ambition to be a comic and encourage him to take it further by setting a challenge: to perform in a comedy club. As the night approaches, the idea seems ludicrous. How can a man who can't bring himself to meet his girlfriend's parents stand up and perform in front of a raucous pub crowd? Rosie holds the key.  'Shy Baby' features Stuart McLoughlin as Lionel, Alex Tregear as Rosie, and Polly Barsby as Emma. The play was researched with the help of Social Anxiety support groups in London and Bristol.

Shy Baby

Chloe has cerebral palsy and is certain she will lose her adored carer Rose, when Rose falls for an apparently perfect man. First broadcast in BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Drama slot. Starring Lesley Manville as Rose, Amy Golden as Chloe, Alex Tregear as Chloe's voice and Jelena Budimir as Alex. Written by Sarah Daniels. Director: Sally Avens.

But If You Try Sometimes

When wealthy banker Sir Gerald Mariner posts a handsome reward for finding his missing infant, all of London joins in, hoping to win that money for themselves. Usually discouraged by a saturated market, photographer and private detective Sarah Bain is instead curiously allured as she realizes the case hits much closer to home than she first thought. As she dives in, she discovers a photograph of baby Robin Mariner and his mother that eerily resembles the post-mortem photographs Sarah, herself, takes of deceased children posed to look as if they were alive. Now it's unclear whether the kidnapping is a cover-up to hide the reality of his disappearance or if it's truly a cry for help. The clock is ticking, and Sarah must uncover the truth before her past catches up to her in this gripping follow-up to The Ripper's Shadow.

A Mortal Likeness

Crime-scene photographers Sarah, Hugh, and Mick are summoned to the goriest crime scene they’ve ever encountered. A pub owner named Harry Warbrick has been found hanged. His murder becomes a sensation because he was England’s top hangman. Sir Gerald, owner of the Daily World, announces that they—meaning Sarah and her friends—will investigate and solve Warbrick’s murder before the police do. She and her friends discover a connection between Warbrick’s murder and the most notorious criminal he ever executed: Amelia Carlisle. Something happened at Amelia’s execution. The Official Secrets Act forbids the seven witnesses present to divulge any information about it. But Harry had a bad habit of leaking tips to the press. What is the secret, and who hanged the hangman?

A definitive, fully-dramatised collection of the best-known works of Thomas Hardy Renowned novelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his fatalistic, often tragic novels set in the 'realistic dream-country' of Wessex, in south and south-west England. Drawing on his own life, he created some of the most memorable characters and stories in Victorian literature - many of which are included here. In five dramas taken from Radio 4's 'Hardy's Women' season, we meet a few of Thomas Hardy's most compelling female protagonists. The Hand of Ethelberta centres around an infamous poet who's not the lady everyone thinks she is; while Two on a Tower is the star-crossed love story of Lady Viviette Constantine and handsome young astronomer Swithin St Cleeve. The Woodlanders tells Hardy's tale of ambition, money and missed chances from the perspective of its unsung heroine, Marty South; unhappy Tess Durbeyfield recounts her life story in Tess of the d'Urbervilles; and in Jude the Obscure, Sue Bridehead relates the tale of stonemason Jude and his dreams of being a scholar. Among the stars of these irresistible adaptations are Rebecca Humphries, Olivia Poulet, Callum Scott Howells, Katy Sobey, Sacha Dhawan, Faye Marsay, Kirsty Oswald and Robert Emms. Also featured are dramatisations of three of Hardy's other masterpieces. Far from the Madding Crowd sees the beautiful, independent Bathsheba Everdene (Alex Tregear) pursued by three suitors: Gabriel Oak (Shaun Dooley), William Boldwood (Toby Jones) and Sergeant Troy (Patrick Kennedy). In The Return of the Native, Hardy's poignant tale of love and longing is brought to life by an ensemble cast including David Calder, Emma Fielding and Adam Godley. And in The Mayor of Casterbridge, starring John Lynch and Ruth Wilson, a man spends his life trying to atone for his terrible past - but however hard he tries to conceal it, it will not be buried. Rounding off our collection we have a pair of classic short stories - 'The Withered Arm' and 'The Fiddler of the Reels', starring Victoria Hamilton, Susan Jameson, Janet Dale, Stephen Tomlin and Struan Rodger. Contents Far from the Madding Crowd The Hand of Ethelberta The Return of the Native Two on a Tower The Mayor of Casterbridge The Woodlanders Tess of the d'Urbervilles Jude the Obscure 'The Withered Arm' 'The Fiddler of the Reels' First published 1874 (Far from the Madding Crowd), 1876 (The Hand of Ethelberta), 1878 (The Return of the Native), 1882 (Two on a Tower), 1886 (The Mayor of Casterbridge), 1887 (The Woodlanders), 1888 ('The Withered Arm'), 1891-2 (Tess of the d'Urbervilles), 1893 ('The Fiddler of the Reels'), 1895 (Jude the Obscure) © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection

This history of relatives lost and found was originally broadcast on 3, 10 and 17 May 2011 in the 'Afternoon Play' slot.  The first play, 'The Wrong Label', is set in London in 1941. Alice knows that to stop your children from being evacuated is tantamount to siding with Hitler.  In 'The Year My Mother Went Missing', it's 1979, and not the first time that Ruthie's mother Queenie has gone missing - but usually she leaves a note.   The final play, 'A Telegram from the Queen', is set in 2011 and, as Alice's 100th birthday present, Ruthie sets out to put her family back together again.   The 'Lost Property' plays star Rosie Cavaliero as the narrator (and later as Ruthie), Shannon Flynn as the younger Ruthie; Alex Tregear, Jane Whittenshaw and Edna Doré as Alice; and Gary Beadle as Ted.   'The Year My Mother Went Missing' was the winner of the Best Audio Drama at the Radio Drama Awards 2012.

Lost Property: The Complete Series

Sci-fi comedy about the bizarre city of Undone – a weird parallel version of London. Edna Turner has moved to London to start a new job at entertainment magazine Get Out!. When she arrives, she meets the strange Tankerton Slopes, who claims to come from a parallel version of London known as 'Undone'. Undone is "where the weirdness comes from": where you can find pet tricks shows, medication designed to make you paranoid, and the Undone delicacy ‘troubled eggs’. Weird things flow into London and mundane things flow into Undone, making them the peculiar places they are. Tankerton offers Edna the task of patrolling the gaps between the cities: finding anyone from Undone who is in London and bringing them back. Because if an ‘Undoner’ stays in London for too long, things become very weird indeed… With a cast including Alex Tregear, Ben Moor, Kevin Eldon, Tim Key, Emma Kennedy and Al Murray, this sci fi comedy will take you to a dimension just beyond normal logic. Cast: Edna Turner…Sarah Solemani/Alex Tregear Tankerton Slopes…Ben Moor Carlo Jones/Billy O’Malley…Duncan Wisbey The Prince…Kevin Eldon Ida…Sophie Duval Grant…Tim Key Kate…Montserrat Lombard/Daisy Haggard Rosie Turner…Emma Kennedy Golfer Mackenzie…Al Murray Produced by Colin Anderson and Lyndsay Fenner

Undone: The Complete Series 1-3

Winner of the 2025 RNA Romantic Saga Award!The heartwarming new novel from the author of The District Nurses of Victory Walk. It’s autumn 1940 and the Blitz has cast its shadow over London. Everyone is doing their bit to help, including the three Harrison sisters of the East End’s Victory Walk. Nurse Rose is snowed under in the hospital tending to victims of the bombings. Her sister Clover is on active duty on the south coast, while the baby of the family, Daisy, is growing up quickly working on the London Underground, now that thousands of people are taking shelter down below. Even in wartime, the sisters find time for a wedding, but the bride is keeping a secret, which threatens to come to light. Can the three sisters stick together, for each other, and for King and Country?

Secrets for the Three Sisters

The characters in this book are works of fiction. But, then, isn’t everyone . . . ? 1988, Pencalenick, Cornwall. At seventeen, Jason wants much more from life than working at his father’s pub and when fate, in the form of twins Daisy and Bea and their small circle of friends, offers him a glimpse of another, more glamorous, world, he’s determined to become a part of it. It’s Daisy who Jason is most entranced by, though. Everyone is: she’s the sun around which others orbit. The trouble with the sun, of course, is that those who get too close risk getting burned – and by the end of the summer, one of the group will be dead. 2018, Camberwell, London. When famous actress Daisy Hemmings decides it's time to publish her autobiography, she chooses James Tate to write it. James is a ghost writer: it’s his job to step into other people’s shoes; to tell their stories for them. And he’s good at it. Very good. After all, he’s had years of practice at pretending to be someone he’s not. But what happens when past and present – and truth and lies – collide? Joanna Nadin’s The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings is an unflinching, unforgettable novel about the people we are, the people we’d like to be, and the price we pay for getting what we want . . .

The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings

London, 1888: Jack the Ripper begins his reign of terror. Miss Sarah Bain, a photographer, supplements her meager income by taking illicit boudoir photographs of the town's local ladies of the night. But when two of her models are found gruesomely murdered within weeks of one another, Sarah begins to suspect it's more than mere coincidence. Teamed with a motley crew of friends--including a street urchin, a gay aristocrat, a Jewish butcher and his wife, and a beautiful young actress--Sarah delves into the crime of the century. But just as she starts unlocking the Ripper's secrets, she catches the attention of the local police, who believe she knows more than she's revealing, and the Ripper himself, who's bent on silencing her for good.

The Ripper's Shadow

Heartwarming and nostalgic fiction from the best selling author of The District Nurses of Victory Walk.It’s 1943 and the district nurses have two new recruits… As the country ramps up for D-Day, the new nurses getting to know their patients on their patch in London’s East End. Lily is quite sure of herself and doesn’t believe she has anything new to learn. She’ll find out the hard way that anyone can be made a fool of when she meets a man who promises her everything. Ruby thinks that nursing might not be for her – is she as hopeless as she thinks, or will tough times bring out the best in her? As the war takes on a new urgency, everything is at stake ─ can the nurses do what is right for the country and for themselves?

A Gift for the District Nurses

The compelling new bestseller from the author of The Mersey Daughter and Winter on the Mersey. Alice Lake has arrived in London from Liverpool to start her training as a District Nurse, but her journey has been far from easy. Her parents think that she should settle down and get married, but she has already had her heart broken once and isn’t about to make the same mistake again. Alice and her best friend Edith are based in the East End but before they’ve even got their smart new uniforms on, war breaks out and Hitler’s bombs are raining down on London. Alice must learn to keep calm and carry on as she tends to London’s sick and injured, all the time facing her own heartache and misfortune while keeping up the Spirit of the Blitz…

The District Nurses of Victory Walk

The new heartwarming and nostalgic read in the bestselling wartime District Nurses seriesFor the district nurses of Victory Walk, there's been little time to bask in the triumph of D-day as London is facing a new threat – the buzz bombs. Everyone is terrified, never knowing where the next one will strike. Into this tense atmosphere, new nurse, Iris, must make her mark. She’s had more experience of nursing than many, but since arriving in East London from the countryside, she has struggled to fit in with the other staff. Meanwhile Alice is facing an agonising wait to hear if her boyfriend Joe has survived D-day – she can barely sleep for wondering if he ever received her letter in which she promised to wait for him? Others too are in limbo, not knowing if their loved ones have made it through. With the end almost in sight, the district nurses must dig deep if they are to keep London going…

The District Nurses Make a Wish

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